Name: Adebola Olugbenga Gender: Male
Company: Richbol Environmental Services Ltd.
Designation: Managing Director
Mr. Adebola Olugbenga is the Managing Director of Richbol Environmental Services Limited, a seasoned entrepreneur who is committed to making the environment less polluted. He is also the author of several publications on environmental issues.
I noticed that your company has a software developer; therefore it is surprising that you have not really thought of doing business online. Why haven’t you adopted this e-system up till now?
Mr. Olugbenga said the main responsibility of the software developer is to develop waste management software that aids in cost recovery which is a vital tool for sustaining and improving all efforts of solid waste management world over and not to give them advices on what kind of business processes is best. He said few years back, the Nigerian business environment was not well developed for
e-commerce and because of this; his company has avoided any form of e-e-commerce business model for so many years. He added that his main concern about e-commerce business model was with online payment safety issues as there are wide spread cases of online fraud/theft.
The change of your current business model to an e-shop model will bring about changes in some business processes which includes logistics and sales process. Do you think your company is prepared to make this change?
The managing director said it was just about time for them to make that change they have been hesitating to make in a long time. He said most of the company’s competitors in the same industry have not taken the step into online business and this will give the company a competitive edge over them. He said however, the market is changing all the time and for this reason, complacency is a luxury his company cannot afford to have at this period. Hence, the need to find ways for the continuous improvement of the company. He mentioned that the company has highly-skilled human resources, IT resources, and large business connection that would make the change of business model both worthwhile and smooth.
Do you think the Nigerian business environment is well developed for the adoption of e-commerce business model nowadays?
Mr. Olugbenga believes that a lot of things have changed in the Nigerian business landscape over the years and there are now a large number of companies that are changing their business model from traditional business model to e-commerce business models. He said this is a welcome development especially with the government making huge strides by investing in information technology. He said the market is very well equipped to handle the rigours of e-commerce and this might be the right time for business to consider changing their business models.
With your current business model, I noticed your company does not have an established logistics system. How have you been able to cope with this situation for years?
Mr. Olugbenga said most businesses like theirs do not have an established logistics system and this has been due to a lack of many options when it comes to
the delivery of goods coupled with the poor state of Nigeria’s infrastructure. He said that is why the company urges her individual customers to come and get their goods themselves because it saves Richbol the stress and extra cost of carrying out such services. He however stated that such is not the case for their corporate customers as the company (Richbol) takes care of the transportation of the goods themselves mostly through some local logistics companies. He however, said that their clients understand quite well the kind of business environment they operate in, and therefore they do not usually have any issues with the way business is being run. In his opinion, this is a quite an effective system that works well for the business at the moment
What is your view on the new logistics system considering the technicalities, potential business benefits, and other factors such as the cost of implementation?
Mr. Olugbenga said he understands the importance and need for a company to have a well established logistics system. He certainly buys the idea of adopting an e-shop business model and believes having a well established and functioning logistics system is a prerequisite for success of any e-commerce business model.
He sees it as a cost cutting avenue and a means to serving customers better. He believes the company has the resources in terms of personnel and funds that are required for the implementation of such a powerful logistics system.
The nature of your current business model has meant that your current sales system is manually administered. How would you view a new e-sales system that totally eliminates this cumbersome task?
Mr. Olugbenga said he is impressed by the amount of paper works that would be forgone if the company integrates a sales portal into their website. He is quite
Mr. Olugbenga said the new business model will give Richbol a competitive edge in the market and it would enable them to easily break into markets that they have been aiming to enter for several years. He believes with the co-operation of the entire company, this can become another success story.